What is the hardest climb in the UK?

vinnymarsden

A local hill was used as a descent in the TDF 2014 here in Yorks... its locally known as "deliverance" coming up as opposed to down, it was just after the Cote d' midhopestones...a long drag up..but the descent at tour speeds... mental!! The entire run across the Strines is a great test..either way...

ugo.santalucia

jimboyle1967 wrote:

Bealach-na-Ba near Applecross in the North West Highlands of Scotland. Tough, tough, tough.

Did it in August, both ways... not very tough IMO.... very scenic though

Given equal weather conditions, Hardknott is the daddy in the UK... it's just very very technical even with very small gears, which I do have... it's 20 minutes of battle with the pedals

meanredspider

PBlakeney wrote:

Pinno wrote:

...and the other end of the country from Spittal of Glenshee all the way up on the A95 to the ski centre. As it's a valley, if you get a headwind, it's murder and relentless.

I thought that was rather unspectacular. Overtaking cars on the way back down on the other hand... But I was much younger and even more stupid then. Bunny hopping a cattle grid at @ 55mph rather sticks in the mind. :shock:

It has that effect on you. I got shimmy for the first time ever on my way down - it turned out I was doing something around 59mph. It's a very long way from help if something were to go wrong :shock: I was KOM on the descent for quite a while and thought it might not be beaten (especially as we had a strong following wind) - kudos to the guy that took it (and anyone who subsequently has gone quicker). It's a fantastic descending hill - possibly one of the best in the UK - and the wind would make it a brutal ascent.

navrig2

First Aspect wrote:

jimboyle1967 wrote:

Although I've managed to avoid the Lakes, my hunch is that the nasty looking climbs are rendered truly awful by having to climb several of them in one ride.

Plus the surfacing is very poor with pot holes filled with joint sealant, which when wet is pretty slippy. I've driven and ridden a motorbike around the lakes. Neither a wonderful experience (just so busy) but cycling there just does not appeal.

itboffin

Pinno wrote:

shaunclaridge wrote:

kiteloopy wrote:

I've...Hill

I would like to make special mention for Bushcombe lane near Cheltenham... I never see it mentioned in these polls but it is over 30 % for quite a while and it has a few bends which are bloody impossible. You can also only see a few yards ahead and its got false flats ... killer.

I can vouch for that. I once got some grit trapped in between the brake block and the rim going down the damn thing. I did stay on but it was hairy. That last 50 yds is brutal.

Can I mention Butts Lane, Eastbourne and the other end of the country from Spittal of Glenshee all the way up on the A95 to the ski centre. As it's a valley, if you get a headwind, it's murder and relentless.

Ah Bushcombe lane yes I found that one by mistake on a gentle winter ride, very unpleasant indeed

haydenm

bompington wrote:

mamil314 wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Box Hill

You say that, but try sub 6 and it is, suddenly, not smooth sailing.

Not only that, but if you try it into a headwind, with your brakes on, towing a trailer with a two year-old and a large labrador, after a monumental night out...

... or alternatively, we could try and compare the climbs - hard enough given that there are different factors that make up difficulty, and they will affect different people in different ways - without throwing in extra confusions.

I was going to say, Birdlip the morning after an asthma attack was pretty tough I've got to say...

thegreatdivide

First Aspect wrote:

The hardest I've found in Scotland is here: https://www.strava.com/segments/615848 First 1.5km are savage, everything else lost in the delirium.

100% agreed and it's completely overlooked. It's the Scottish Mortirolo as someone on here once called it. The first part is consistently gruesome and the road's so narrow that meeting a car can mean feet down or a tumble into the grass verge.

bompington

meanredspider wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Pinno wrote:

...and the other end of the country from Spittal of Glenshee all the way up on the A95 to the ski centre. As it's a valley, if you get a headwind, it's murder and relentless.

I thought that was rather unspectacular. Overtaking cars on the way back down on the other hand... But I was much younger and even more stupid then. Bunny hopping a cattle grid at @ 55mph rather sticks in the mind. :shock:

It has that effect on you. I got shimmy for the first time ever on my way down - it turned out I was doing something around 59mph. It's a very long way from help if something were to go wrong :shock: I was KOM on the descent for quite a while and thought it might not be beaten (especially as we had a strong following wind) - kudos to the guy that took it (and anyone who subsequently has gone quicker). It's a fantastic descending hill - possibly one of the best in the UK - and the wind would make it a brutal ascent.

Hee hee , I've done 60...

... a bit frustrated not to get the speedo ticking over the 100kmh mark (60mph = 96kmh). I'm not, of course, in the slightest bit bothered :? about the fact that it wasn't on strava and yet would probably have meant a KOM time that would still hold: my PR on strava is 4s off on a descent that certainly wasn't as fast.

But since I went up and then back down the south side, the tailwind that gave me that speed was a pig on the way up, then and on a couple of other occasions.

The road surface is good at the top but on the bend nearer the bottom - which isn't the steepest bit but is often the fastest, I think because it's more exposed to tailwinds - it has a few nasty patches that have had me palpitating a bit more than once.

Frank Wilson

The next one!

mamil314

bompington wrote:

mamil314 wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Box Hill

You say that, but try sub 6 and it is, suddenly, not smooth sailing.

Not only that, but if you try it into a headwind, with your brakes on, towing a trailer with a two year-old and a large labrador, after a monumental night out...

... or alternatively, we could try and compare the climbs - hard enough given that there are different factors that make up difficulty, and they will affect different people in different ways - without throwing in extra confusions.

Thank you for your serious post.

reacher

Does it not get to the point where it's academic in that with the right gears none are harder than others it's all down to speed a 8 or 10/12 % done at speed is a lot more interesting to watch in a race than some uber steep cliff where they are all doing it at walking pace you may as well at this point watch a mountain bike going up

First.Aspect

reacher wrote:

Does it not get to the point where it's academic in that with the right gears none are harder than others it's all down to speed

No, believe it or not, steep hills really are harder.

Cheshire Cat

Rhino's from the Langdale side I found harder than Hardknott, the gradient is constant, also, probably little known, but Bobbin Mill out of Ulpha onto Corney Fell is nasty too.

markhewitt1978

First Aspect wrote:

reacher wrote:

Does it not get to the point where it's academic in that with the right gears none are harder than others it's all down to speed

No, believe it or not, steep hills really are harder.

One aspect being the constant gradient, so no rest like you would on the flat, but mainly that for most of us there comes a point where we run out of gears and are either pushing a lower cadence, higher power or both of these, than we would ideally want to.

bobmcstuff

I don't think Glenshee is that bad, it's steady away and easy to get into a rhythm. I've only ever done it from the South and the descent into Braemar is amazing.

I find the Lecht much harder - the profile is mental so it's hard to get into a rhythm, and the 25% wall out of C0ck Bridge puts you into oxygen debt right from the start. Then there's another 20% wall further up which is longer. And it's very exposed up there. https://www.strava.com/segments/6674394

Plus there's the small matter that to even get there you have to come over Gairnshiel, which is a decent climb on its own (330-430m of climbing depending on whether you come up from Crathie or Ballater). On the 3 Pistes sportive you do Glenshee, Gairnshiel, Lecht, then go round to Aviemore via Bridge of Brown and another climb I can't remember the name of, 2700m in total: http://www.mapmyride.com/gb/pitlochry-s ... -320662845

reacher

markhewitt1978 wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

reacher wrote:

Does it not get to the point where it's academic in that with the right gears none are harder than others it's all down to speed

No, believe it or not, steep hills really are harder.

One aspect being the constant gradient, so no rest like you would on the flat, but mainly that for most of us there comes a point where we run out of gears and are either pushing a lower cadence, higher power or both of these, than we would ideally want to.

Yes I get that, but with enough gears you get to the point where you could virtually climb anything as mountain bikers have proved, climbing at speed is entirely differant

cedar404

Cheshire Cat wrote:

Rhino's from the Langdale side I found harder than Hardknott, the gradient is constant, also, probably little known, but Bobbin Mill out of Ulpha onto Corney Fell is nasty too.

Good choices there. Wrynose from Little Langdale is relentlessly steep with barely any sections where you can have a breather so to speak. Bobbin Mill out of Ulpha is bad for the first couple of hundred yards but then flattens out.

In south cumbria near Kirkby in Furness there is a pretty nasty road that goes up to Kirkby Moor. Its a small farm road just off the A595 at Soutergate, the top section is very narrow and steep and last time I went up it had grass growing along a lot of the top section which meant no out of the saddle climbing - I turned the air a very dark shade of blue as I tried to climb seated and get some grip.

itboffin

But at the end of the day does it compare to the endless list of near European climbs that go on for 1+ hour at C. 10% no! Do we have any such climbs in isle's

First.Aspect

itboffin wrote:

But at the end of the day does it compare to the endless list of near European climbs that go on for 1+ hour at C. 10% no! Do we have any such climbs in isle's

There aren't many like that. But the hardest way up any climb is to constantly change effort. Don't undersell some of the British climbs where you have no option.

eric_draven

Rosedale Chimney,brutal mid section,only ever made it once quite local to me should try it more often

pinno

PBlakeney wrote:

Pinno wrote:

...and the other end of the country from Spittal of Glenshee all the way up on the A95 to the ski centre. As it's a valley, if you get a headwind, it's murder and relentless.

I thought that was rather unspectacular.

Like the surface of the moon at the top, pretty bleak.

I managed 57 mph down Beachy head once, never been and don't want to go any quicker. It was hairy and I had a bit of a speed wobble (dodgy headset) but not for long as you have that S and the 3 manhole covers at the bottom to start braking for - do you go to the right of them on to the other side of the road or do you go through the middle, in between them?
The 'High and Over' at Alfriston to Seaford is worth a mention. Not long but a 1 in 3 at the beginning.

I think the road surfaces alone make UK climbs twice as bad as they ought to be.

Monty Dog

I was working in the Lakes a few years ago and would do an evening ride that went from Broughton to Eskdale, up Hardknott, down to Coniston,around the Langdales back up Wrynose and back down Dunnerdale - always found Hardknott tougher than Wrynose even though it was earlier in the ride, particularly getting over the cattlegrid in the wet on 39x23..

rollemynot

thegreatdivide wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

The hardest I've found in Scotland is here: https://www.strava.com/segments/615848 First 1.5km are savage, everything else lost in the delirium.

100% agreed and it's completely overlooked. It's the Scottish Mortirolo as someone on here once called it. The first part is consistently gruesome and the road's so narrow that meeting a car can mean feet down or a tumble into the grass verge.

Not wanting to sound like a c@ck but I took a 560 ps Audi RS6 up there and it wasn't happy with the gradient.... I know I did sound like a......

overlord2

Monty Dog wrote:

always found Hardknott tougher than Wrynose even though it was earlier in the ride, particularly getting over the cattlegrid in the wet on 39x23..

That's because Wrynose from that end is about as hard as Box Hill.

itboffin

First Aspect wrote:

itboffin wrote:

But at the end of the day does it compare to the endless list of near European climbs that go on for 1+ hour at C. 10% no! Do we have any such climbs in isle's

There aren't many like that. But the hardest way up any climb is to constantly change effort. Don't undersell some of the British climbs where you have no option.

Option or opinion?

First.Aspect

itboffin wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

itboffin wrote:

But at the end of the day does it compare to the endless list of near European climbs that go on for 1+ hour at C. 10% no! Do we have any such climbs in isle's

There aren't many like that. But the hardest way up any climb is to constantly change effort. Don't undersell some of the British climbs where you have no option.

Option or opinion?

Are you drinking alone again, ITB?

All I'm saying is that some UK climbs are just unpleasant no matter what else you are used to. But no, 10% for hours on end can't be fun. Closest I've done is the VOTT, which is more lumpy. And not in the least enjoyable. Except for any farmers watching me weave my way up.

meanredspider

If you want to replicate the time and effort required for an alpine road climb, you need to ditch the road bike and do some of the climbs up to the wind farms on an MTB or gravel bike. The combination of gradient, length and, most importantly, surface replicates it pretty well. And coming down is a lot of fun too...

dodgy

I'm a poor climber, I've learned to just accept that but it doesn't stop me from trying.

Anyway, I've ridden quite a few alpine cols and none of them are as hard as Hardknott. I remember my first trip out to the alps, I was excited but also dreading it and convinced I'd be forced to stop (but never walk - I never walk). My first col was Col de joux Plane, I just grinded up it, yes it was hard but nothing like Hardknott which I have been forced most times to unclip and rest.

I don't care how long in KM Euro cols are, I'd rather ride up Colombiere than the old Horseshoe

Ben6899

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Box Hill

The false flat thread is ----> that way.

Briggo

http://cyclinguphill.com/100-climbs/